Orix Working on Hessman

by Patrick Newman (Dec 2, 2010)

If you search this site, you'll get posts dating as far back as two years ago of me saying that NPB teams should consider Mike Hessman. It looks like that's happening now, as Sports Hochi is reporting Orix has him on their list of replacements for the apparently departing Alex Cabrera. Orix is also close to signing ex-Yomiuri Giant Seung-Yeop Lee,
surprisingly for a reported 150m yen. Even with Lee, I think Hessman
would be a good addition for Orix. He would give them some pop from the
right side of the plate, and offers some depth at third should Aarom Baldiris falter.

Hessman is coming off a good season with 3A Buffalo,
one that saw him significantly cut down on his strikeout rate and get
called up to Mets in the second half of the season. Unfortunately, he
hit a meager .132 at the MLB level, and at 32 looks like a textbook 4A
player. Japan is a good option for him.